Overwhelmed but not Forgotten

The gulf region is still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Plans had called for nearly 200,000 residents displaced by the hurricane to be able to return home to salvage what they could and try to begin the long, arduous process of starting over again.

Then came Rita- the latest tropical storm with the possibility of slamming the gulf once again as a category 3 or 4 hurricane...

As I listened to reports on the news of this latest setback for the already dejected hurricane survivors, the words of Psalm 137 came to mind:

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we
remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they
said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How can we sing the songs
of the LORD while in a foreign land?

For many of those displaced from their homes by the ravages of the hurricane and the flood waters, this whole strange, unwanted odyssey must seem like an exile of sorts. There was talk of re-opening the popular music establishments of the French Quarter as soon as possible, yet for the tens of thousands of low income residents of New Orleans and souther Mississippi there is little talk of re-building their homes.

Instead, Mr. Bush and other leaders are now talking about eliminating most of the low income housing and building more upscale properties in its place. While this may sound attractive, and desirable to business leaders and tourists who rely on the region as a cash cow, it would displace tens of thousands of people, and force them to relocate far away from what was formerly their home.

Economic redevelopment and renewal can be very positive and a great opportunity, as long as it is not at the expense of essentially evicting more than 100,000 people from their hometowns.

Economic development needs to be balanced with the housing needs of residents displaced by this natural disaster. Otherwise we Americans risk perpetuating- either actively or tacitly, our shameful history of displacing and discriminating against people of lower income and educational attainment. It would also perpetuate the poor example we have set for treating minorities in our nation unfairly.

Let's work to be part of the solution, instead of just letting business interests take over. Redevelopment that shuts middle and lower income residents out of the process is not renewal- it is a forced exile clothed as economic recovery.

Peace,

John